Training Run, Exhibit Mark 35th Anniversary of Terry Fox's Run

On April 12, 1980, Terry Fox let the waters of the Atlantic Ocean in St. John’s, Newfoundland, wash around his prosthetic leg to signal the start of his run across Canada.

It was the starting point for the 21-year-old Fox in what became known as his “Marathon of Hope” after a malignant tumor forced the amputation of his right leg above the knee in March 1977. His purpose was to raise funds and awareness for cancer research. Fox managed to run 3,339 miles by September 1, 1980, when his cancer spread to his lungs, forcing him to end his trek early in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Since 1981, his efforts have been commemorated by the Terry Fox Run, a multi-city, non-competitive race held throughout Canada each September, and this Sunday marks the 35th anniversary of the start of his journey.

But to highlight Fox’s final training run before he began the Marathon of Hope, an organized 10-mile run was held in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, on Saturday. The course covered one of Fox’s favorite routes, which took runners past his home, on a lap around Maple Creek Middle School’s track where he learned to walk and run, and along the waters of Port Moody.

“We’ve always wanted to have something to recognize Terry in April because it’s when he set out to begin the marathon,” said Donna White, the provincial director for the Terry Fox Foundation in the British Columbia and Yukon provinces. “We wanted to give people an idea of what it was like for Terry.

“The family had come across his training journals, and they discovered that this particular route was his favorite 10 miles to run. Despite the fact that he would do it two or three times in a day, we just had people do it once on Saturday.”

More than 350 runners--including members of Fox's family--participated in the training run. Like every event related to Terry Fox, the run was untimed and no awards were presented.

“We wanted people to experience what Terry did on that same piece of roadway,” White said. “He didn’t go out and time himself; it was about the distance and how he felt out there.”

White said smaller events are also being held to mark the April 12 start date. For example, runners across Canada will try to collectively surpass the 3,339-mile distance Fox covered this Sunday.

The exhibit will include the van Fox used throughout his journey, his training log, his artificial leg, and more. Visitors can also read through the more than 60,000 letters he and his family received from supporters during the Marathon of Hope. The exhibit will remain open through January 24, 2016.

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